UM Hoops.comhttp://www.umhoops.com
Michigan Wolverines Basketball Recruiting, News & VideoTue, 31 Mar 2015 17:23:25 +0000en-UShourly1Report Card 2015: Ricky Doylehttp://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/31/report-card-2015-ricky-doyle/
http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/31/report-card-2015-ricky-doyle/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 17:23:25 +0000http://www.umhoops.com/?p=70657Freshman center Ricky Doyle quickly became one of the biggest surprises of the early part of Michigan’s season, scoring in double-digits five times before January. But the freshman center tallied 10 points or more in just three games from January 1st until the end of the year, as health issues and improved competition limited his efficiency.

Freshman center Ricky Doyle quickly became one of the biggest surprises of the early part of Michigan’s season, scoring in double-digits five times before January.

His 10 points against Oregon set the bar high early on and it took him ten games to earn the starting spot at the center position, a role that he held for the next 19 games.

But the freshman center tallied 10 points or more in just three games from January 1st until the end of the year, as health issues and improved competition limited his efficiency.

Still, Doyle exhibited significant growth this year, as the Cape Coral, Florida native matured physically from the out-of-shape 18-year-old we saw in August. In the Wolverines’ Big Ten tournament matchup with Frank Kaminsky and Wisconsin, Doyle scored 12 points in 18 minutes, days after he was in the hospital and, in his words, nearly immobilized with a stomach virus.

Doyle set a high ceiling for himself against Oregon, and consistency and conditioning will be key for him as he projects as next year’s starter.

Strengths

Pick-and-roll offense: Despite his size, Doyle exhibited soft hands from day one, which made him reliable on the pick-and-roll by the end of the year. Though it accounted for just over 16.4% of his usage, the freshman scored 1.286 points per possession as the roll man, according to Synergy Sports. And when the Wolverines could get Doyle going, it was usually a good indicator for success — he tallied 7.7 points per game in wins and just 4.6 in losses.

Around the rim: As evidenced by his spurts against Kaminsky in the Big Ten tournament, Doyle was an efficient scorer around the basket. Per Synergy Sports, his eFG% around the rim was 67.9%. Michigan struggled at times to get him the ball, but when it did, Doyle finished.

Getting to the free-throw line: Doyle shot just 60.9% from the free-throw line, but he didn’t have issues getting there. His free-throw rate was 57%, and he wasn’t afraid to fight through contact. The freshman was always expected to be the Wolverines’ bruiser inside, and he proved that with his play this winter. With a little added strength, there’s a chance that many of those two-shot fouls will result in and-one opportunities as a sophomore.

Room for improvement:

Defensive Rebounding: Despite being Michigan’s biggest player, Doyle’s rebounding statistics left a lot to be desired. He rebounded just 11.9% of opponents’ missed shots when he was on the floor. Only three Wolverines in the rotation posted worse defensive rebounding rates: Spike Albrecht, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, and Aubrey Dawkins.

Michigan’s scheme prioritizes boxing out over grabbing rebounds for big men, but Doyle’s defensive rebounding rate was so low that it is a major red-flag going forward.

Posting up: Doyle had difficulties scoring with his back to the basket as the level of competition increased. Michigan scored just .75 points per possession when Doyle shot or passed the ball out of the post. He only posted up 36 times this season, but his grade measures out in the 34th percentile nationally.

Beilein raved about Doyle’s hook shot in the preseason, and it has the potential to be a weapon, but he needs to move quicker and be more assertive when he catches the ball down low.

Fitness: Though he trained with strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson last summer, Doyle still seemed a step or two behind come November. Though fitness became less of an issue as the year continued, the freshman played 30-plus minutes only twice. Doyle will spend another summer with Sanderson in Ann Arbor, and his fitness and health could be critical next winter.

Defensive rotations: Doyle had the tendency to get caught out of position defensively. At times he would chase blocks that he couldn’t reach, leading to second chances. Other times he’d be a few steps late on his rotations, leading to an extra foul or any easy layup. These concerns are probably equal parts physical and mental, but both should improve next season.

Shining moment

Offensive rebound and putback seals Wolverine win over Oregon

Quotable

Beilein: “You can get a lot of big guys who are not going to take charges. They don’t embrace physicality, they shoot fadeaway jump shots because they don’t like that physicality — that’s never been in Ricky’s nature since the day he walked in here.

“That’s a mindset, and he has certainly got the body. When he walked in here this summer and they began the strength training, he certainly had to change the look of his body but Jon Sanderson told me right away, ‘This kid is strong.’ Just look at the bench press, it’s like he’s lifted for two years, even though he hasn’t. He was country strong coming in.”

Grade: B-

Doyle certainly had his moments, but illnesses hampered his ability to maintain any sort of consistency. As Beilein repeated frequently, he was routinely matched up against players two or three years his senior — there were few easy assignments for the freshman.

It’s tough to play 30 games as a freshman post player in the Big Ten, but Doyle showed promise. His freshman campaign was far from flawless, but there’s plenty to be excited about with Doyle going forward.

Doyle can make a serious leap by just continuing to get in better shape and improving his rebounding, but he also has some untapped ability to be a bigger part of the offense.

When reporters asked John Beilein what improvements Doyle needs to make in the offseason, the coach’s response came without much thought: The center needs to develop his jump shot.

Synergy Sports indicates Doyle attempted jumpers on just five possessions all season. The center has looked comfortable during those limited opportunities, and it’s reasonable to expect a step forward by next year.

Doyle’s role next year will depend on what Michigan’s roster looks like next year.

There’s still a chance that Max Bielfeldt could return and the Wolverines are recruiting big men like Moritz Wagner (offer) and Mike Edwards. DJ Wilson and Mark Donnal should also play a role at the five spot, but Doyle looks to have a strong grasp on the starting center role going forward.

]]>http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/31/report-card-2015-ricky-doyle/feed/11Notebook: Jaylen Brown hopes to decide in Aprilhttp://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/30/notebook-jaylen-brown-hopes-to-decide-in-april/
http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/30/notebook-jaylen-brown-hopes-to-decide-in-april/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 13:35:03 +0000http://www.umhoops.com/?p=70677Jaylen Brown hopes to make his college decision in April as rumors swirl regarding his recruitment. The No. 2 ranked prospect discussed his recruitment at the McDonald's All-American game, including his thoughts on his Michigan trip. 2016 five-star Tyus Battle is also working on an official visit to Michigan and added Kentucky to his list.

]]>Jaylen Brown told the Herald Leader in Chicago last night that he has “about a month” to go in his recruitment, adding that it was “fair to say” he could wait until after current college players announce their NBA decisions.

“If I choose a school within the next two weeks that I think I like the most, and they don’t have any NBA guys, then I won’t have to wait until whatever the NBA deadline is,” Brown told Next Cats. “But, if I do, then I’ll probably wait.”

Brown has used all five of his official visits – to Michigan, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and North Carolina – and also recently took an unofficial visit to Cal. Both in-state schools, Georgia and Georgia Tech, are also still in the mix.

Michigan, I have a lot of family. I’m based in Michigan so I could deflect a lot of stuff because my family is there, so Michigan is definitely going to be in the front runner of things. Talking to Coach Beilein, he’s like an offensive genius the way he gets these guys that aren’t really ranked high to be lottery picks in the draft is amazing. It’s definitely something that drew my attention. Also Michigan is a great education school. They have one of the top public universities in America with Cal-Berkeley, UCLA and North Carolina.

I want to develop. People say I’m ready to go this year. People say I’ll be ready next year. To do what I want to do, I think it’ll take me at least two years. I don’t want to come into a situation like the NBA and have to develop for two or three years. When I come in I want to be a superstar. Coming in I want to be on superstar status. Coming in I don’t want to have to wait two years. It’s going to take development and it’s going to take hard work. I know I can make the business move and be a top five, top 10 or top 15 draft pick if I just had a solid year in college and left. I love the game too much to chase after the money. I know your heath is not secure, but I love the game. Your heath is never secure. You could get hurt anytime. I just want to develop and be the best player I can be. When I’m ready, I’m ready.

Expect Brown to be under the media microscope over the next two weeks as he finishes up McDonald’s All-American activities this week – the game airs Wednesday night on ESPN – before heading to the DICK’S Sporting Goods National Championships later this week. Brown will also play in the Nike Hoop Summit (April 11th) and the Jordan Brand Classic (April 17th).

Within the last week, Edwards has added offers from Auburn, Marquette, Pittsburgh and SMU along with interest from Purdue, Arizona, UCLA and Duke.

Cassius Winston comes up short

Cassius Winston got his U of D Jesuit squad to the state semifinals game, but came up short against eventual champions Detroit Western. Winston had 21 points on 4 of 12 shooting (12 of 15 at the free throw line) including four assists to five turnovers in the defeat.

The talented point guard told Scout.com that he hopes to take all five official visits before making a decision. Michigan State has been trending in Winston’s recruitment, but the four-star point guard has been on campus at Michigan several times over the last few months.

Goodman reports that UConn, Illnois and Boston College met with Miller on Thursday while Michigan was in on Friday. Goodman added that Miller met with Marquette and will also meet with Cal.

Miller averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season for Cornell and will have immediate eligibility at his new school. The 6-foot-7 forward shot 49% on twos and 28% on threes last season, but had the 6th best defensive rebounding rate in the country. He’s also an above-average shot blocker with a top-100 block rate.

According to Synergy Sports, Miller is an above-average post-up scorer. He’s also effective finishing cuts at the rim and in transition, but his jump shot still appears to be a work in progress.

Miller is transferring because of an Ivy League rule which prohibits graduate students from competing. He previously used a redshirt year due to injury. If he wanted to remain eligible at Cornell next year, he would have needed to delay his graduation and remain an undergraduate student. Instead he can transfer anywhere in the country, on scholarship, and play out his final season of eligibility.

Here are some highlights of Miller in action during his senior season at Cornell.

]]>http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/28/report-michigan-meets-with-cornell-graduate-transfer-shonn-miller/feed/32NBA Roundup: Sauce Castillo, McGary finding role, Burke strugglinghttp://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/27/nba-roundup-sauce-castillo-mcgary-finding-role-burke-struggling/
http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/27/nba-roundup-sauce-castillo-mcgary-finding-role-burke-struggling/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 14:20:35 +0000http://www.umhoops.com/?p=70639Michigan has more players in the NBA than it has had in quite some time, but many of them haven’t had the best season. Nik Stauskas picked up a trending nickname, Mitch McGary has continued to excel, but Trey Burke has been stuck in a major rut.

]]>Michigan has more players in the NBA than it has had in quite some time, but many of them haven’t had the best season. Nik Stauskas picked up a trending nickname, Mitch McGary has continued to excel, but Trey Burke has been stuck in a major rut.

On the court, things haven’t always been so fun for Stauskas, but he’s averaging 7.8 points per game in March, his best as a rookie.

He’s still struggling to find a role, adjust to playing on a losing team and playing for so many different coaches coaches. His shot chart still looks nothing like the lights out shooter that Michigan fans saw in Ann Arbor and he’s averaging just 4.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

“This is the first time in my life where I’ve played on a losing team,” Stauskas told NBA.com. “This is the first time in my life where I’ve really come off the bench. This is the first time in my life where I’ve had long periods of time where I haven’t played well. There’s a lot of new things that have kind of come at me that I’ve had to adjust to.”

McGary carving out role

Mitch McGary missed significant time this season with injuries, but now he’s healthy and he has a role with the Oklahoma City Thunder as they push toward the playoffs. McGary is averaging 16.2 minutes, 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game since stepping into the Thunder rotation in early February.

Here are highlights of McGary from a 14 point, eight rebound performance against Miami this week.

Burke searching for shot

Trey Burke hasn’t found consistency during his sophomore season in the NBA. He was removed from the starting lineup for rookie Dante Exum midway through the season and he recently went 4 of 22 from the floor in a loss to Minnesota.

“I feel like I kind of let my teammates down because I felt like I got some great looks, but I feel like I shot too many 3s,” he said. “If we could have got the ball in the paint more, it would have opened more things up. That starts with the point guard.”

Importantly, he remains an absolute professional, a truly impressive young man as far as the way he’s handled a bevy of issues often directed squarely at him. Trey is likely the most thoughtful and self-aware interview in the Jazz locker room, and is consistently candid in assessing his own struggles. Some might confuse his on-court troubles with a selfish attitude or an unwillingness to learn, but to this eye, this couldn’t be further from the case. His physical tools may not ever lend themselves to a fashionably late upswing, but if such a window ever does open up, this is a guy who’s shown the work ethic to get there.

But the clock continues to tick. Next season will be the second-last where Trey is under his cost-controlled rookie contract, and his current level of play is only subtracting dollar figures from his next deal. If Exum can channel the missing mental side of his game and take some of the steps offensively the Jazz are surely hoping for by next season, Burke could find the minutes distribution tilting even more heavily away from him. He has a long way to go to convince Utah he’s worth retaining beyond his rookie deal as a long-term piece in any capacity.

The next game out after Burke’s woeful 4 of 22 shooting performance, he bounced back with 22 points on 9 of 19 shooting, but suffered a bizarre pinched nerve injury that left him crumpled on the floor.

The former National Player of the Year is averaging 12.8 points and 4.4 assists per game, but he’s struggled from the floor.

Other notes

Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging 11.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, but the Knicks are just 14-58 on the season.

Glenn Robinson III was cut by Minnesota earlier this month, but was quickly picked up by the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s played in just two games with the Sixers.

Darius Morris is averaging 2.4 points and 1.2 assists in 8.2 minutes per game for the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are the fifth team (Lakers, Clippers, 76ers, Grizzlies, Nets) that Morris has played for during his two years in the league.

]]>http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/27/nba-roundup-sauce-castillo-mcgary-finding-role-burke-struggling/feed/31Report Card 2015: Spike Albrechthttp://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/26/report-card-2015-spike-albrecht/
http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/26/report-card-2015-spike-albrecht/#commentsThu, 26 Mar 2015 15:03:51 +0000http://www.umhoops.com/?p=70562During Big Ten Media Day in October, Spike Albrecht seemed content with being Michigan’s most experienced backup. But his role changed quickly, as injuries to Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton made the junior the team’s only healthy veteran in the backcourt.

]]>During Big Ten Media Day in October, Spike Albrecht seemed content with being Michigan’s most experienced backup. But his role changed quickly, as injuries to Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton made the junior the team’s only healthy veteran in the backcourt.

Albrecht made 18 starts and played in 31 games, averaging 7.5 points and 3.9 assists. And it was his distribution that quickly became his biggest forte. He had a season-high nine assists against Syracuse in December — including a behind-the-back dish for a Ricky Doyle dunk — and polished off the evening with a go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute.

Then there was his near-perfect game against Ohio State at Crisler Arena — which featured five assists to no turnovers, 16 points scored and two crucial steals — and the jaw-dropping behind the head to Aubrey Dawkins in transition during the Big Ten tournament.

But Albrecht has always been able to pass the ball. This year was a transformation in his game from bit role player to every game starter. By the end of January, Albrecht was playing about as close to 40 minutes per game as you can get, and he looked increasingly comfortable in that role as the season progressed.

In his first 19 games, he averaged just 4.7 points and 3.2 assists per game with a 45 eFG% in 27.8 minutes. After Derrick Walton was sidelined, Albrecht averaged 38.6 minutes, 12 points and five assists per game, shooting 42% on threes for a 54% eFG%.

It was an impressive showing for the Crown Point, Indiana native, especially considering he played through a hip injury all winter.

Strengths

Pick-and-roll offense: One of Albrecht’s biggest weaknesses last year became a strength, as the junior improved mightily at a staple of Michigan’s offense. John Beilein commented sometime in February that Albrecht was never recruited to be a guard that you give the ball to and let him run ball screens every possession, but that’s what Michigan’s offense turned into by the end of the season. Michigan scored 1.092 points per ball screen with Albrecht at the helm, good for the 93rd percentile nationally according to Synergy Sports.

Shooting off the dribble: Albrecht continues to be a very good jump shooter off the dribble. He excelled shooting the ball above the break (41% on those attempts per Shot Analytics) and after slumping early in the season, he found his groove down the stretch. He also started to develop a reliable pull-up jumper from the elbow, a shot that helped expand his arsenal of moves in the pick and roll game.

Distribution: John Beilein lamented Michigan’s lack of passers throughout the season, but Albrecht was the exception. His 4.4 assists per game in Big Ten play ranked 6th in the conference and he continued to keep his turnover numbers respectable despite an exponential increase in work load.

Room for improvement

Attacking zone defenses: As John Beilein noted after Michigan’s loss to Iowa, Albrecht seemed to struggle against the 2-3 zone, in part because of his size. The numbers support that observation. Facing zone defenses, Albrecht scored just 0.628 points per possession, in the 17% percentile nationally. (Compare that to his .908 points per possession against man-to-man defense.) Beilein said Albrecht needs to improve his positioning and his vision when attacking the zone, and that’ll surely be a point of emphasis during the offseason.

Defense: One of Albrecht’s biggest issues has been on the defensive end of the floor. Albrecht struggles to keep quicker point guards out of the lane and that meant that Derrick Walton, Caris LeVert, and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman were tasked with guarding the opponent’s best player. Albrecht is savvy and experienced enough to make a few steals — his game-clinching steal against D’Angelo Russell comes to mind — or x-out a screen-the-screener set but defense continues to be a weakness.

Getting to the free throw line: Albrecht shot 91.3% from the charity stripe, but he didn’t get to the line often — just 46 times in 31 games. That put him fifth on the team, behind both LeVert and Walton. His free throw rate was just 24% and, while Albrecht doesn’t have the size to necessarily drive for contact regularly, it would be a way to improve on his poor finishing around the basket (37.8 FG%, and 11th percentile nationally).

Quotable

Ohio State coach Thad Matta, after Albrecht’s dominant performance against his team at the Crisler Center, said of the guard: “We were telling our guys going in, ‘He’s playing with house money.’ He’s out there having the time of his life, and he made some tremendous plays, some tremendous reads.”

Albrecht, on his steal of D’Angelo Russell: “I was just thinking, ‘Man, he’s a lot more athletic than me, and he’s going to beat me down the court. So I was like, ‘Man, I’m tired, so I’m going for the steal.”

Shining moment

Grade: A-

Once known just for his National Championship performance, Albrecht progressed from a luxurious backup early in the season to an every day, double-digit scoring point guard running Michigan’s offense for the last month of the season. He developed into Michigan’s leader and had a knack for hitting big shots in the clutch, even if Michigan came up short more often than it would have liked.

Albrecht still won’t be an elite defender next year and while there are still outstanding variables, namely Caris LeVert’s NBA decision, there’s a real chance that he’ll find himself coming off the bench as a senior. He’s probably never going to play 35+ minutes per game again in Ann Arbor, but that doesn’t take away from what he was able to accomplish down the stretch this season.

In a year that featured the decimation of the backcourt due to injury, the junior did enough on both ends of the court to keep Michigan competitive, proving in the process that he could remain effective as his role expanded.

]]>http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/26/report-card-2015-spike-albrecht/feed/8Video: Jon Teske Junior Season Scouting Highlightshttp://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/25/video-jon-teske-junior-season-scouting-highlights/
http://www.umhoops.com/2015/03/25/video-jon-teske-junior-season-scouting-highlights/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 14:45:21 +0000http://www.umhoops.com/?p=70571We compiled footage of class of 2016 Michigan commitment Jon Teske’s junior season at Medina and edited it into a five minute scouting video to show off some of his strengths and weaknesses before AAU play begins.

]]>We compiled footage of class of 2016 Michigan commitment Jon Teske’s junior season at Medina and edited it into a five minute scouting video to show off some of his strengths and weaknesses before AAU play begins.

Strengths

Teske is a legitimate 7-footer and that size and length translates into shot blocking ability. He’s a good defender around the rim and moves well from side to side to serve as a help defender.

Teske doesn’t have a vast arsenal of post moves, but he’s very capable of executing his set of base moves. He routinely catches the ball on the block and makes a quick move to finish over smaller defenders. There’s room for refinement there, but he should have the tools to be very productive on the block going forward.

Teske also showed the ability to step out beyond the three-point line and knock down open threes off the catch or pick and pop. The three might not be a shot he takes regularly at the next level, but he has a consistent shooting motion that saw good results. Perhaps his most surprising skill is his ability to pass the ball. Teske showed off some great vision and passing ability and fired off outlet passes, backdoor passes and kick outs to open shooters.

Room for Improvement

Teske still isn’t a great leaper. His size means that isn’t a huge issue at the prep level, but he’ll need to add elevation to his game over the next year and a half before his college career begins. He’s also just an average rebounder, despite his size. He rarely grabs rebounds outside of his area and doesn’t seem to pursue the ball as well as some other bigs. His hands appear to be above-average when catching the ball around the basket, but below-average when chasing rebounds, 50-50 balls and alley-oops.

He still needs to add strength and has the tendency to let smaller offensive players get into his body in close quarters, which can limit his one-on-on defensive ability. Added strength should go a long way toward improving his rebounding, hands and athleticism on the defensive end.